"Coach, I'm Bleeding"

The eight to twelve year old class is full, but only Johnathan, Aaron, and his brother Eric showed up to class.  All of them are eager to fight in the next boxing at Simons Park.  I made a mental note to work with them closely to get them ready.

BJ and Kody were the only ones who came to the gym for the teen class.  Kody kept bugging me to spar, even though today was not a scheduled day for that.  "If BJ wants to spar, then you all can," I told him.  Those two ended up sparring for the rest of the class.  Kody was playing around a lot during and in-between rounds.  I had to stop the action to change Kody's headgear because it was too big for him.

BJ was smiling about getting the best of Kody most of the time.  "I like sparring," he said, and I hoped he would change his mind about not fighting at Simons Park next month.  After the last round ended, BJ said, "Coach, I'm bleeding."  Not seeing anything, I asked, "Where?"  He walked over to me, and that's when I saw a stream coming out of his nose.  I quickly ran to get paper towels to clean him up.

Kody was surprised and concerned at the same time.  "I made someone bleed," he said.  He kept asking BJ if he was alright.  "I'm fine!" BJ answered.  He took it well.  I was amazed that Kody got a punch in like that.

Alexis was the only person who attended the adult class.  "Push me to the limit," she told me.  "I want to get healthy!"  She was tired out, but she soldiered on like a trooper.  I was also tired.  In-between throwing around the medicine ball, showing how to do footwork drills with the cones, showing how to use the slip bag, etc., I felt like I had put in some exercise as well.

Wiping Out Headgear

In this photo, Alan schools some of the new people who signed up for the fall boxing session at Loyola Park.  I recognized one new face as Chris, a guy who owns a computer repair shop in Rogers Park.

I had a lot of energy for some reason last night, but I didn't spar.  Instead, I watched as Alan and Gabe sparred.  Gabe wore no headgear, but Alan put on the hockey mask type headgear that Kevin left behind a few years ago.  He asked me to take it off of him and wipe it out between rounds.  "This gets so hot," he said.  I need new headgear, but having worn that particular headgear before, I would never buy that design.  Headgear is hot enough without also feeling like I'm in a cage.

Kathy and Celeste sparred.  I didn't get a chance to ask Celeste if she'd had some prior experience.  It sure looked like she did.  Celeste had to work harder to fend off Kathy's long arms and the punches at the end of them, but she did fine.  Kathy showed more confidence in the ring.

Gabe wondered if there had been anyone at the recent Loyola Park boxing show that could have matched up with him.  The only adult I remember participating in the show was Kathy.  All the guys who fought were under eighteen years of age. "It's just as well that I didn't make it to the show," Gabe said.  It's not that Gabe wasn't able to be matched up with people at other shows.  But Gabe is very tall and lanky, and that build is often hard to find among other fighters in the Chicago Park District.

In a few days, the private boxing show at Fernando's gym in Evanston will take place.  I'm going to attend regardless if have any fighters from LaFollette Park with me.

Snafus and Absences

Due to a snafu on the part of the insurance company, I had to forfeit a doctor's appointment that I had been waiting to go to for about three months.  The insurance company kept (in my late dad's words) dicking me around over the phone, so I could not resolve the problem right then and there.  Because of that, I was late to LaFollette.  After I arrived, I was wishing that I could immediately go home.

Kody and BJ came in.  They have signed up again for the class, but there's been no change in either.  If I don't stay on BJ, he doesn't train hard or consistently, and Kody just plays around.  It's a long 75 minute session when I have people in the gym who won't do what they are supposed to be doing.

Finally, I asked Kody, "Do you want to win fights?"  His response was, "I want to be able to hurt people on the street who mess with me."  I told Kody that he has to train as hard as someone who participates in regular matches to be able to defend himself elsewhere.  Kody was bugging BJ to spar, but BJ wasn't interested.  Then Kody turns around and says he's not interested in sparring.

BJ backtracked on his promise to take a fight at Simons Park next month, as well.  "I don't think I'm ready for that," BJ said.  "Why are these kids in here?" I thought to myself.  To make matters worse, Kishaun and Derrick Jr. were no shows.  I expected Kishaun to at least come in and explain why he didn't show up at Loyola Park's boxing show yesterday.  I'm trying to get out of the habit of always snapping and yelling at the kids as I don't like channeling either of my late parents' angry tones.  I forced myself to talk in even tones to BJ and Kody despite of all the slacking that was going on.   But it was damn hard for me to do.

There are only two more Chicago Park District boxing shows I'm going to take the kids to, and a private boxing show in Evanston, and that's it for this year.  I expect the self-motivation as well as the attendance to suffer even further after the opportunities to participate in matches dwindles.

None of the adults -- Dan nor De-Fetrick -- showed up for their class, either.  The absences did give me a chance to sign up two new kids, Felicia and Deshawn, for the 12 years old and under class.  That class is padding out a little more, and for that, I'm grateful.

Exhibitions and An Almost Fight

The photo above was taken in the gym after the Loyola Park 2015 "Boxing Explosion" show.  Barry is on the far left.  Gary is standing behind me on the left.  The twin teenage boys to the right of me had an exhibition match, and I worked the corner of one of them.  Alan worked the other corner.

I nearly got a fight.  Yeah, you read that one right.  Kathy, who's birthday was today, was matched up with a much younger girl for a fight.  Alan proposed that I take an exhibition match with Kathy.  I don't live very far from the field house, so I could have ran home and got my mouthpiece.  But Tommy felt more comfortable matching the younger girl up with someone else.  It appeared that Kathy would not be able to fight.  Then three fights into the show, Alan and I heard the announcer calling Kathy to come to the glove table and get suited up.  We thought the announcer had the wrong information, until we found out that Kathy was going to fight after all.

Alan was in Kathy's corner, and I helped in the corner of the other girl.  Kathy hung in there the full three rounds, despite taking a couple of hard hits directly in her face.  Unfortunately, Kathy lost the match.  But she did get a nice birthday present near the end -- she was given an award for Best Fighter Of The Show.

I also helped out another of Barry's fighters, a kid named Max, during a fight.  Max was putting his left jab out there fine, but wasn't throwing the straight right hardly at all.  During the breaks, I told Max to use that hand more, and to cover up his left side.  The other guy, also from Loyola Park, kept catching Max with hooks there.  That was also an exhibition match, so both guys received trophies.

My fighter, Kishaun, was a no show.  I can't understand it.  Kishaun was all hyped up about going to Loyola Park for weeks.  But Kishaun had not been in the gym at LaFollette to train for days, and I had a feeling I wouldn't see him at Loyola.  I was disappointed, but I can't get mad about it anymore.  This is the second time I was "stood up", but it's more about Kishaun missing an opportunity.

The turnout at the Loyola Park show was very low.  There were seven fights instead of the usual ten fights.  The audience watching the fights was small.  There were a lot of reasons:  fighters who didn't show up, it was raining out, and I heard from those who drove in that traffic was bad.  Those things happen sometimes when the boxing shows take place.  But like they say in the entertainment world, the show must go on.

What A Boxing Coach Wants Parents To Know

1.  I can only focus on the kids who are actually signed up for the program.  I'm not there to give free lessons and "try it out" sessions to the siblings, cousins, and buddies who have tagged along with the kids, but who are not signed up for the gym.

2.  I'm not a babysitter nor a playground monitor.  I can't watch the siblings, cousins, buddies of the kids in the program.  If they're not signed up for the gym, please leave them at home, or take them with after dropping off the kids who are signed up for the gym.

3.  Boxing will not automatically solve bullying issues.  In fact, it may escalate matters.  Also consider that most schools have a zero tolerance policy about fighting.  I do agree that people should be able to defend themselves.  However, it would be better to address bullying with your kid's teachers, the school administrators, and the parents of the kid who is doing the bullying than teaching your kid how to fight.

4.  I'm not going to deal with kids who present discipline problems to me in the gym.  I will bring it up to the parents at least once.  If I keep having to deal with it, and especially if I suspect nothing is being done at home to curb the behavior, I will strongly suggest that the kid be placed in another activity.  Please know that I'm not putting up with disrespect.

5.  Don't sign up kids for the gym with the idea of making them tough.  Some kids will, but others don't have the personality for it.  Know your kids.

6.  Don't force the kids into boxing.  Please ask the kid if they really want to take the sport up.  It is a waste of the kids' time to put them in an activity they don't enjoy.  It is also a waste of my time to try to teach them.  I will step in when I see a parent/guardian forcing a kid to spar when I see the kid is not returning punches, being injured, crying, etc.

7.  Make sure the kids are there on time.  When people show up late, people cheat themselves out of valuable training time.  The class times are what they are.  I'm not in a position to change them, nor make accommodations and exceptions.

8.  If the kid is involved in another sport whose practices take place at the same time, make a choice.  People can't train for two or more sports at the same time.

9.  Make sure the kid is showing up at the gym on a regular basis.  No one is going to learn how to box properly by showing up at the gym on and off.  I have other kids in the gym who show up regularly.  I'm not going to call home to find out why your kid is not there, because I'll be doing that every day.  I don't have the time to chase people.  If the kid really wants to be there, they'll show up.

10.  The classes are divided by ages for a reason.  I can't have an eight-year-old sparring with a fourteen-year-old.  I can't allow kids who aren't old enough for the classes to sign up.  Kids aren't allowed in the adult classes under any circumstances.  Kids need to be in the correct boxing class for their age group.

11.  People must be on time to boxing shows and tournaments.  Once the officials close the weigh-in, there is nothing I can do.  I'm not going to argue with them to let one more kid in, because everyone knew in advance when they were supposed to be there.  If a kid shows up without a mouthpiece, they won't be fighting that day.  I won't be carrying extra mouthpieces with me, especially when I know I gave your kid one some time ago.

12.  Respect the fact that there's only one boss in the boxing gym, and that's me.  I don't need parents/guardians standing at ringside calling out instructions over the instructions I'm already giving to their kids during training.  I don't need parents/guardians in the corners during boxing shows and tournaments giving their opinions.  If I know for a fact that the parents/guardians have had some boxing experience, I will gladly welcome their help.  Otherwise, it my job to coach.  Also, to male parents/guardians -- don't assume that I need help or worse yet, that I don't know what I'm doing because I'm a female.

Sniffling and Not Breathing

Kishaun (on the left) does a sparring drill with his cousin Derrick Jr., or has Kishaun puts it, "shadow sparring".  Hopefully, both boys will get fights at Loyola Park's boxing show later this week.

While I was at Loyola Park, I got some pad work with Gabe.  Standing next to him really pointed out how short I really am.  I believe Gabe is six feet four.  I lasted two rounds, and learned some new punch mitt techniques at the same time.  Gabe noticed that I wasn't breathing as I threw my punches.  I was a bit embarrassed because that is a rookie mistake.  As much as I tell the kids at LaFollette Park to "breathe!" I should know better.

I was also sniffling.  Right before I got to Loyola Park, I stopped to play with Alex, a tomcat who lives up the street from me.  No sooner than I started petting Alex, my allergies kicked up.

I was running the gym for Alan because it was Rosh Hashanah.  Outside of Gabe, Kathy, David, and Connor were in attendance.  No sparring took place but it could have.  "When I was a volunteer," I told Gabe, "I couldn't let people spar when Alan was out.  But as a coach, I can."  "That's what's up!" Gabe said.

Over the weekend, I brought a new pair of five pound weights for LaFollette's boxing gym.  I was never crazy about the neoprene covered ones that were available in the storage room.  After the kids broke one of them, I was determined to replace them with some real cast iron weights.  As time goes on, I'll build up a collection of cast iron weights for the boxing participants to use.

The Fall Season of Punching

Most of the new kids - Desmond, Dennis, Jamesa, and her sister Jannetta -- showed up.  TJ didn't come in.  No sign of the other kids either, and that was a big concern where Kishawn was concerned.  There's a boxing show at Loyola Park next week, and Kishawn was all hyped up about going.  Even his cousin Derrick said he might weigh in at that show for his first fight.

However, the other kids made up for any disappointment I had.  All were easy to work with, especially Jamesa and Jannetta, who are 13 and 16 years old, respectively.  Jannetta has some boxing experience via After School Matters, a youth program.  Someone told me the girls are home schooled, and the classes they take via the park district serve as their extra curricular activities.

I've come to realize that I can't expect or force the kids to follow the boxing training schedule I have up in the gym.  It's caused friction in the past with some kids in the gym when I insisted on that.  The kids are now being encouraged to use the list as a guideline and to craft their own workout.

No adults have signed up yet.  It's not the cost, which is low.  I think it has a lot to do with the time the class takes place.  But it can't be done any earlier, nor done any later.  Maybe if the adult class didn't meet on a daily basis, that would make it more attractive to people.  Most of the kids have long split their time between training with me and doing other activities.  Some of the adults have done this as well, but unlike the kids, they have more pressing demands on their time.  Right now, the class time is what it is.  I just hope more adults will find it.

Father and Son Boxing

I sparred with Kathy at Loyola Park, and nearly tripped and fell over my own feet.  My hands are always able to cooperate, but my knees don't agree.  Alan told me to cut off the ring on her, which wasn't easy.  For the most part, I kept planting myself in the middle of the ring to try to keep the action there.

Alan went a few hard rounds with Connor.  Alan's son, Matt, was watching from ringside.  "Is he doing this because I'm here?" Matt grinned.  Alan was popping Connor with vicious hooks, then Alan caught the younger man in the gut.  Connor was bent over.  They were scuffling in the corners, too.  Connor caught Alan with some full-on jabs and rights.

Matt got into the ring with his dad, and as you can see from the photo above, Matt was not wearing headgear.

They rumbled around the ring for a few rounds, then stepped back into the ring later for a second sparring session.  They were all up in the corners and on the ropes.  Alan was bouncing off of the ropes; Matt was blocking a lot of punches. As Matt was stepping out of the ring after their last session, Alan held up his hand in victory.  Matt didn't see the gesture, but I did.  I was laughing.

Matt gave me some good advice about some supplements I can take to help with my arthritis.  I take glucosamine for my knees.  Matt said that would help rebuild cartilage, but not do much about the daily pain that I feel.  I'm willing to try anything that will help me to move better when I walk and run.

Rain Day

No one showed up at the gym.  I guess the rain kept people at home.  Well, no people in attendance gave me time to:

a) eat my lunch
b) check on the attendance numbers for the upcoming fall session
c) read
d) do a little clean up in the gym
e) plan for the upcoming boxing shows and the fall session

As an extra food bonus, I was invited to have some BBQ sausages by LaShawn, a guy who came in to check out the gym.  He took pictures of the fall schedule times so he could promote the program to people he knows.  LaShawn was doing something with the field house's football team; I think they had a scrimmage game today.  The food was mostly for the team.  I also took a picture with the team.

The football coach had me give a brief speech to the team regarding boxing training.  I told them that boxing training can help them with stamina and conditioning.  Again, plans were made to have the football team come into the gym, but it seems the timing is never right.

Kishaun and Rocky did show up yesterday.  The reason they didn't make it to Harrison Park was because they couldn't get a ride.  Public transportation was working, but hey, I don't know everyone's situation.  Oh, well.  No sense in me continuing to grumble about it.  I'll just have to hope for the best when we go to Loyola Park in a few weeks.

That sparring session I planned that didn't take place?  I learned that a lot of the coaches didn't receive the flyer -- which I received late to mail out -- until after the event.  Next time, I'll skip having a flyer made, and I'll just call everyone directly to invite them.

Let Down At Harrison Park

Both Rocky and Kishaun called me at the field house, assuring me that they were going to be at Harrison Park for a boxing show.  "Please get there by 5:30 PM,"  I advised them.  I showed up at 5:00 PM.  Many fighters showed up in hopes of getting a fight.  There a long line for the weigh-in.  But after the last two fighters showed up around 6:25 PM to get weighed in, Tommy shut the scale down so the coaches could get about the business of making matches.  Rocky and Kishaun never showed up.

Of course, I was ticked off.  Kishaun could have had a match because of the wealth of boys who showed up looking for fights.  But then, Kishaun hadn't been in the gym for two days, and he might have re-thought taking a fight because of missed training time.  However, both Rocky and Kishaun have to think about the fact that I closed the whole gym down.  That meant that no one was able to train today, including the adults who have to pay for the boxing class.  I don't have an official park district volunteer for whom the staff will feel comfortable to open up the gym for in the event that I'm away at a boxing show with other fighters.

Also, both Rocky and Kishaun would have got to see some very good fights at the show. The fighters were serious about winning, and some very hard blows were thrown.  Most of the fights went the distance; only a couple of them were stopped.

I saw Joe, a trainer who I hadn't seen for a long time.  I received a warm greeting both from him and Sean, a referee.  "Gentleman" Gerald and Shifty were the other two referees.  Ernest, Rodney, Fermin, Mike, and Jeff rounded out the coaches who attended.

Fortunately, the night wasn't a total loss, because John from Loyola Park was able to get a fight.  I helped Alan in the corner with him.

John didn't win, but he put up a good fight.  I told Alan that I was bringing fighters to his and Barry's boxing show next month.  But whether Kishaun and any of the other kids choose to show up remains to be seen.

40 Years Older

No sign of Kishaun today.  Ashanti called her cousin via cell phone, only to be told that Kishaun was hanging around with another set of cousins somewhere.  I know I told him last week there was a boxing show at Harrison Park going on this week.  "Kishaun shouldn't be missing days at the gym," Ashanti said, and I agreed with her.

For a brief moment, Shanita and Julius made another appearance.  As usual, Shanita did all of the talking, while her brother just looked around.  She's fully into basketball these days, so she (nor her brother, for that matter) are returning to boxing any time soon.  The both of them seemed surprised to see Derrick, his parents, and Ashanti in the gym.

I had Ashanti and Derrick do sparring drills for a few rounds.  Then Derrick asked if I would do some rounds with him.  The drill was made up of just us moving around and throwing punches, but not landing any.  The point was to work on footwork, head movement, getting out of the corners, and defense.  Derrick is very quick, but I managed to get him backed into the corners several times.  Once there, he easily turned out of the corners.

At some point, I realized that I was chasing around a 13-year-old kid.  "I'm forty years older than he is," I thought, as I struggled to keep up.  That's one of the benefits of being a boxing coach.  The coach has to practice their skills in order to keep time with the people he or she has in the gym.  I got a good workout today.  "You've got some skills!" Derrick exclaimed afterwards.  I try to do my best.

Ashanti's mom doesn't want her to spar, I learned.  "Accidents could happen," Ashanti explained.  I guess that means she won't be taking on any boxing matches.  Yet she has a good pair of strong hands.  Sigh. . .it seems that I've lost Ashley, even though she won her one fight.  Now it looks as if I won't have Ashanti facing anyone in the ring.  Girls show up expressing their interest in fighting, but the challenge is getting them to really get into it.

Upcoming Shows

"Ralph is a good fighter," Alan said.  "Too bad he's leaving tomorrow."  It was Ralph's (wearing the blue hoodie in the photo) last day at Loyola Park.  He's flying home to attend college, where he will major in international economics and law.  Alan wished he could have gotten more fights for him.

I learned there will be a show fight somewhere on Ravenswood, but I don't know if there will be any slots for younger fighters.  I'm planning to take some of my fighters to Harrison Park later this week for another Chicago Park District boxing show.  Kishaun is up for it.

His cousin Derrick needs to control his temper, however.  Last week, Kishaun got the better of a sparring session between him and Derrick.  Despite Rocky, Derrick Sr., and myself telling Derrick to keep his emotions out of it, the boy stormed out of the gym afterwards.

The summer session is now officially over as of last week, and I'm looking forward to fall.  I want to take my fighters to the upcoming boxing shows at Loyola Park, Simons Park, and Humboldt Park.  I'm very pleased that summer camp is done, so I don't have to deal with that set of kids vandalizing my gym, at least until next year.

Blood On My Work Shirt

Yesterday was the boxing show at Ogden Park.  Initially, I was concerned about having my fighters come there because it is far from LaFollette Park.  Kenny, the coach at Ogden, wanted a rematch of one of his girls with Ashley.  Yet Ashley hasn't been in to train in weeks.  So that left Kishaun, whom I had been trying to get a fight for the longest time.

First, Kishaun was the eighth fight of the evening.  But there was a switch-up, and Kishaun ended up having the fifth slot instead.  Tommy wasn't there for the weigh-ins, but other staff were, including a guy named Dan.  I'd never seen Dan before, but he seemed to be very concerned about making sure everything was on the up-and-up.  I got there after Kishaun and his family did, so I immediately had Kishaun to weigh in.  I filled out a paper indicating my fighter's age (11 years) and how many fight he'd had (none).  But Dan asked Kishaun those questions again to verify what I had written.

"Gentleman" Gerald was the referee for all the fights.  Gerald is the boxing coach at Ada Park, and he's also a professional boxing referee.

Rocky warmed Kishaun up while I kept an eye on the fights.  The fight before Kishaun's ended quickly, so we had to rush up to the ring.

Kishaun's fight didn't last long, either.  Even though my fighter hesitated too long sometimes to throw punches, Kishaun kept his guy against the ropes and in the corners.  Then suddenly, the other boy was in his corner, holding on to his face after the first round ended.  I made Kishaun sit on the stool in our corner.  Gerald came over, waving his hands.  "It's over," he told us.

I looked down on my shirt and saw specks of blood on it.  Kishaun wasn't bleeding.  The other kid was bleeding, however.  The blood from that kid on Kishaun's gloves got on me when I took Kishaun's gloves off.  Well, that shirt has to go into the laundry.  Luckily, I have extra work shirts to wear.

My fighter clearly won the fight.  However, no winners were declared in any of the fights that took place.  The hands were raised of each fighter, and the announcer would say, "They are both winners!"  That was the first time I had seen that happen for every fight at any boxing show I've seen.  I understand the reasoning behind the "every kid wins a prize for participating" issue, but I'm not in agreement with it.  Kishaun had waited a while to get a match.  I wish his trophy had "winner" imprinted on it.

That's okay.  I'll just make sure I talk up his win the next time I'm in the gym.  Hopefully, that will not only encourage Kishaun to keep going in the sport, but will inspire other kids to try boxing, too.

A Gym Full Of Cousins

Now Kishaun doesn't want to jump rope in addition to not wanting to shadow box.  "I don't like jumping rope," he told Rocky.  Both Rocky and I explained that jumping rope is for stamina, coordination, and footwork.  But Kishaun kept complaining.  Rocky told him, "Just for that, you'll jump rope every day next week."

Slowly, the kids and teen boxing classes are gaining participants for the fall season.  Ashanti, a cousin to Derrick Jr. and Kishaun, signed up.  I joke to myself that the youth classes are being filled up by Rocky's relatives.

Joseph, another of Rocky's relatives, is planning to sign up, but he lives out in the western suburbs, as does Tyrone.  The park district's usual policy is that if someone who lives outside of city limits partakes in a class or activity, they have to pay a higher fee.  That doesn't seem to apply to the youth boxing classes, which are free.  I'm more concerned about the suburban kids being able to come to class on a regular basis.  Most have to depend on someone driving them there. If they can't get a ride for any reason, that's another day of missed training.

Nassir ran in and ran out of the gym, not doing a workout.  Looks like I'm going to have to have a talk with his mother regarding whether boxing is a good fit for her son.

I hope Mel and Ben return for the adult class, even if they continue to split their time between the fitness center and boxing.  I like having them, and Ben's sister, Alex, in the class.

In light of the speed bag I had hung up to be used as a slip bag being torn down last week, I'm now concerned about having other equipment in the gym.  The ring is showing wear and tear from the two months of hell the summer camp kids inflicted on it.  The heavy bags took some damage, too, and the bulletin board closest to the entrance door was targeted for vandalism.  Thank God I could lock up the gloves, headgear, jump ropes, etc., or else those would have been destroyed and/or stolen.  If I can arrange to keep the summer camp kids out of my gym next year, I will.  Summer camp is for a short time, but my program is all year long. The equipment needs to remain in good condition for my fighters.

Another Walkout and More Vandalism

I walked into the gym to find an old speed bag, which I had hung up for the fighters to use as a slip bag, had been torn down and thrown to the floor.  I had just hung that up yesterday, as well as a new slip bag I purchased from Ringside. I guess the rope holding up the new slip bag was too hard to pull down, which was why that was still hanging.  I have no doubt that one of the little wonders were literally swinging on the speed bag that came down.

So I go to the camp director -- again.  I had the downed speed bag in my hands.  "The kids were only in there to get their lunch, but they didn't eat in there," she said.  Regardless of the fact that the summer camp kids don't eat in the gym often, they're always in there long enough to mess with the equipment.  The camp counselors never seem to put the kids in check about that unless I happen to be on the premises yelling at the kids to stay off the equipment.  Fortunately, one of the attendants backed me up.  They had been in the gym to clean earlier in the morning.  "I didn't see that bag on the floor when I was in there.  It had to be one of the summer camp kids who did that," they said.

The camp director had no answer -- again.  I walked away, loudly grumbling, "I'll be glad when these summer camp kids are gone!"  "You and me both, so we can get back to a regular schedule!" the attendant said in agreement.

Later, Nassir and Derrick Jr. showed up for boxing class.  Derrick Jr. was working hard as usual.  Nassir rolled into the place twenty minutes late, then dawdled around for several minutes more.  I kept getting on Nassir to follow the workout schedule which is in black and white, and in plain English up on one of the bulletin boards.  But Nassir didn't want to listen, nor do what was required. "Do you want to win the next fight?' I asked him.  Apparently tired of my nagging, Nassir left early, but not before leaving a parting shot.  "I'll just get out of your way," I was told.  Nassir comes to the gym when the mood hits, often shows up late, is seldom focused on the workout, and then tries to put me on a guilt trip?  Very few have been successful in sending me on those journeys; Nassir better ask somebody.

Lateness and Attitudes

Nassir waltzed into the gym 35 minutes late, and I pointed it out to him.  "What's going on?" his mom asked, and I explained the situation to her.  Then Nassir mostly wasted what was left of class time:  taking too long to put on hand wraps, talking with the other kids, being distracted by other activity in the gym, and generally just standing around.

I worked mainly with Little Jordan, because Rocky and Derrick Sr. were working with Kishaun and Derrick Jr.  Little Jordan was not turning his fists over properly while hitting the punch mitts I was holding.  I kept thinking about how badly Little Jordan's last fight went, and I got on him a little hard about not being focused.  Little Jordan didn't appear to be enthusiastic about the rest of his workout, either.

However, I gave up on Nassir after several minutes.  At ten minutes to the end of class, I told both him and Little Jordan to take off their wraps and finish out with floor exercises.  Nassir mumbled some excuses, but I wasn't in the mood.  "Nassir, when you're late, that's training time that's being missed," I said.  Nassir's last fight was a disaster as well.

I compared how hard Kishaun, Derrick Jr., and later, Andre, were working to Little Jordan and Nassir's attitudes.  I wanted to ask Little Jordan and Nassir if they wanted to win their next fights.  Concerned about how my tone would sound, I kept quiet.  I would really like to hear their answers, however, since Little Jordan and Nassir's attendance has been sporadic as of late, and I can't seem to get any cooperation out of them when they are in the gym.  

Locked Doors and Missed Sparring

I was tired Monday night, but I went up to Loyola Park anyway.  Usually that is the only time of the week where I actually get some real exercise in.  I begged off sparring with Kelly, however.  My knees took a pounding from walking extensively through two street festivals the day before.

Not many people were in attendance which is the usual for this time of year.  But it is always such a pleasure to go to a gym where there are mirrors for shadow boxing, a speed bag, and more than one heavy bag up -- all things which LaFollette Park's gym still doesn't have.  I ordered a slip bag over the weekend, but I don't plan to put it up until LaFollette's summer camp is completely over.  I don't need any of the summer camp kids swinging on it and tearing it down.

The kids and teen boxing classes were empty today at LaFollette.  Before the adult class began, I noticed that the outermost door leading to the gym was closed.  People know I'm down here.  Why in the hell was the door closed?  I thought to myself.  Ben, BJ, and Alex showed up for the adult class.  Just as I was closing up the gym after they left, Rocky showed up with Derrick, Kishaun, and a couple of new boys who wanted to join the classes.  They told me they had showed up earlier, but the outermost door was locked.  When they went up to the front desk to ask if class was taking place, they were allegedly told that I was either walking along the track in the park or I was on break.

Really?  I haven't had time to walk on the track surrounding the football field since last summer.  And when do I go on break?  I don't really get breaks; I'm always in the gym.  Rocky and the boys were disappointed that they missed out on sparring.  I was irritated that they had been given some wrong information about my whereabouts.  Also, the outermost door being locked was probably the work of the kids who are attending the late summer camp and/or the camp counselors.  They didn't come inside the gym, thank goodness, to get their afternoon snack.  The kids went directly into the Teen Club room down the hallway from the gym (where the kitchen is) to get fed.

Since I still haven't received the fliers I requested, I called the other coaches to let them know about the sparring session I'm having on the last day of the summer session.  I didn't catch anybody as most of their classes start later in the day, but I did leave messages.  Next week is another boxing show -- this time at Ogden Park -- so I'll spread the word more when I get there.

Biting My Tongue To An Extent

The above photo is of one of two bulletin boards up in La Follette Park's boxing gym.  This particular board hadn't been up for too long when I took the picture.  These days, the board looks like it has been through a war.  Today I walked in to find another of the postings on this board torn down and on the floor.

So I take my concern to the appropriate parties, namely the camp director, and a few of the summer camp counselors who happened to be standing nearby.  Let's just say the answer I received as to why the kids can't be told to stop putting their hands on the bulletin board was not satisfactory.  One of the counselors had the nerve to say, "I feel you, but tomorrow is the last day of the regular camp, and we'll get a break."  "I needed a break all summer long, because this keeps happening," I said, my temper rising in my chest.  I abruptly walked away before I really said something that would upset everyone.

If the posting had been completely destroyed, I could have easily replaced it.  What really pissed me off about the incident was the lack of respect shown towards my work space.  Later, when the summer camp kids came down for their afternoon snack, I parked myself in a chair in front of the board in order to keep them off of it.  When I saw kids with food sitting on the apron of the gym, I barked at them to get up.  Another kid put her finger on my thigh as she passed by in the food line, and let it linger there for too long.  She grinned at me.  "Why are you touching me?" I snapped.  She moved away.

There was a boxing show at Seward.  I closed up the gym and came upstairs to the front desk about 45 minutes before leaving La Follette to go there.  "Why are you looking so mean?" another staff member asked me.  "I'm not in the mood to deal with these kids today," I said.  "Well, that's your job, boo," they answered.  "I'm glad I don't have to deal with kids at home," I retorted.  I was in a foul mood, and efforts to keep biting my tongue were threatening to fail, big time.

Andre and Kishaun made it to Seward.  Surprisingly, not enough parks showed up with their fighters.  That was too bad for Kishaun, who didn't get a fight. Andre got a fight with a kid whom I was told didn't have much experience.  However, the kid was a little bigger than Andre in terms of strength.  The kid looked like they lifted weights.  "Uh, oh," I thought when I saw him.

Alan, who was there with four guys from the adult boxing program at Loyola, helped me in the corner with Andre.  Andre has strong punches, but he didn't use them.  I kept telling Andre not to allow the other kid to back him into the ropes and corners, but to no avail.  Andre kept bending over and covering up, as well as not keeping his eyes on the other guy.  Rocky was giving him advice, too, but Andre wasn't listening.  Andre received three eight counts.  Of course, Andre did not win the fight.

Then I helped Ralph, one of the fighters from Loyola Park, in his corner.  He had an exhibition match against John (who is a teacher, by the way, just like the other John at Loyola).  John caught Ralph in the nose.  I was wiping blood off of Ralph in between the second and third round.  They both did well, however.

During that fight, Nassir, who had tagged along with Andre, was standing ringside, calling out instructions as if he was the coach.  One more thing to piss me off today, I thought.  Then Nassir was peppering me with questions about upcoming boxing shows while the match was going on.  I tried to keep my focus on Ralph and John.

After taking the headgear off of Andre after his fight, I told him, "We're going to have to work on technique again in the gym."  Back to the drawing board -- again.

Thirty Years Younger

I did four rounds of sparring at Loyola Park -- two with Annie, and two with Katie.  It was Annie's last day at the gym.  She's moving to Maryland.  Alan told her she could probably find good boxing gyms out there.

Annie moves similar to Erica.  She bounces a lot, but it's not wasted movement.  I got cracked upside my head a few times because I didn't have my hands up.  I was able, however, to get in more hooks.

It was hard to get in body blows on Katie.  She uses her long arms to an advantage.  I kept tapping her left jab down, and I tried to come over with my straight right.  I kept thinking "be an inside fighter", but it was tough for me to do so.  Katie would get hers in then move back.  I was trying to return punches from a mile away, as Alan put it.

Turns out that both Katie and Annie are about thirty years younger than I am.  No wonder I was having a hard time keeping up.  Sparring with them just further proved to me why I should no longer entertain the idea of competing.  Both my knees felt like they were swollen.  I was moving around the ring like a turtle.

One reason that I spar when I go to Loyola Park is to get exercise in.  Another reason is to keep up on skills so I can pass them on to the kids and adults at La Follette Park.  Also, when the kids in particular start talking about, "I'm tired", I can point out that if a middle aged woman like myself can do a few rounds of sparring, the kids can do a workout.

A Fair Interruption

I saw the move Southpaw.  Reviews for it had been mixed, and not really complimentary, but it wasn't bad.  Jim Lampley, Jimmy Lennon Jr., Roy Jones Jr., and Lou Di Bella -- real-life members of the boxing community -- were featured in the film.  Jake Gyllenhall was cut.  Whoever trained him for this film did a good job.  Most of the punches were rough and beautiful.

Yesterday was the second day of zero training in the gym at LaFollette Park.  The day before that, the gym was shut down for cleaning in preparation for a neighborhood gospel fest that took place the following day.  I spent all day yesterday keeping people off of the ring and the heavy bags.

Hot dogs and hamburgers were being given away outside to the kids attending the fest.  There is a kitchen in the gym area, and more mature fare (chicken, macaroni and cheese, etc.) was prepared for the adults who didn't want hot dogs and burgers.  A few tried to park themselves on the apron of the gym to eat.  "No food on the ring, please," I said loudly.

I overheard one parent grumbling because they were told that their little wonders were only allowed to get the hot dogs and hamburger that were being grilled outside.  The parent went on and on about how "mean" church people, the ones who were serving the food, are.  What I heard was an entitled mama attitude that she needed to get over and drop.

After explaining to the one of the boys who plays football why the gym was shut down for two day, he asked, "So Coach Hillari, you're not happy about not being able to train?"  "Yeah, I'm a bit pissed, but there's not much I can do," I replied.  Nearby was a dental outfit who were offering teeth cleanings in the gym. Yes, you read that right; dental services in a boxing gym.  Earlier, they had moved the equipment table and a chair I had been sitting on without asking.  I know they heard my comment, but I didn't care.  I've become very protective of my space in the field house.